Art of and apparatus for the treatment of plant fiber or the like



June 16, 1925'. 1,542,180

C. C. SELDEN ET AL ART OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PLANT FIBER OR THE LIKE.

Filed April 28, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J5 9 J6 J0 A TTORNEY.

June 16,1925. 1,542,180

C. C. SELDEN ET AL ART'OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PLANT FIBER OR THE LIKE Filed April 28, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE C. SELDEN AND ROBERT D. PEARSON, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ART OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PLANT FIBER. OR THE LIKE.

Application filed April 28, 1924. Serial No. 709,610.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, CLARENCE C. SELDEN and ROBERT D. PEARSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and use of which the following is a specision test, breaking test, and will have a longer life and better finish than the cotton which must be harvested before being fully mature, or such cotton which is naturally dry by being grown in a Very dry climate under irrigation, or without irrigation, conditions, and therefore it will be seen that the said dry cotton should be processed with its natural or substitute oil, or other vapors to establish the desired breaking test.

The object of our invention is to provide an apparatus and for treating plant fiber and more particularly cotton fiber, by applying to the fiber or by filling the same with a predetermined quantity of its natural or substitute oils, moisture, or both, to increase the strength and life and to improve the finish of the'fiber, and to reduce the waste and fly, and to facilitate easier spinning from more pliable and elastic fibers, and to produce stronger and better finished articles manufactured therefrom.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the'following specification for an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingv drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of an apparatus embodying our invention Figure 2 is a plan view of a modified form of the apparatus.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified I form of our invention.

Figure 4. is a plan view of said modified form.

Figure 5 is a transverse section of said modified form, take-11 on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a cross section of our invention on line 6-6 of Figure '5.

In the drawing 1 indicates a standard cotton carding machine which includes a container 2. It is the practice to gather the carded cotton sheets 3 into the containers 2 by drawing the sheets from the machine in tapering form into skeins 4' through eyelets 5 into the containers.

We mount a housing 6 between the machine and the container 2 at a predetermined position, through which housing the sheets 3 pass from the machine to the container, the side walls of said housing converging to the container and following the lines of supply 12' and air pump 13, said pipes being controlled by valves 14,15 and 16 respectively, whereby the supplyof oil, steam or Water, and air, through the nozzle 7 to the sheets 3 in the housing 6, is under manual or automatic control.

In the modified form of our invention shown in Figure 2 the nozzle 7 extends into one end of a chamber 20, from the other end of which leads a pipe 21 into the housing 6 through the wall thereof, through which pipe the atomized vapor passes from the chamber. 20 into the housing 6. A fan 22 is mounted in the mouth of the pipe 21 to assist the travel of the atomized vapor and oils from the chamber 20 through the pipe 21, housing6 and a pipe 23 leading from said housing, which pipe leads back into the end of the chamber 20, throu h which the nozzle 7 extends for returning t e escaping vapors to the housing for using-the same over again when not consumed. A valve 24 controls the passage of the vapor through the pipe 21 into the housing 6. A pipe 25 the sheet 3 of said pipes for allowing oil to pass either from the tank 11 or condenser 26 through the pipe 8 or pipes 29 and 8 and nozzle 7 into the chamber 20 the oil being atomized into vapor while passing through said nozzle. A heater 31 is located under the tank 11 and a heat chamber 32 is located adjacent the chamber 20, either of which may be employed when the oil is too heavy,to lower the gravity of the oil, said heat chamber being connected to a pipe 33 leading from a source of heat, not shown.

The desired oil-vapor and moisture are delivered by the nozzle 7 into the housing 6 to the fiber sheets 3 in said housing in such proportions that there will be no air currents strong enough to disturb the sheets in the course of carding and gathering the same into the skeins 4. The atomized vapor passing through the chamber 6 is suificiently fine and rare to impregnate the fibers as it comes from the card with a predeter mined amount of moisture and oil-vapors as aforesaid, and the valve 24 may be employed to admit the required volume of vapors through the housing, depending upon circumstances. .The vapor passes from the housing 6 through the pipe 23 past valve 27, through pipe 25, past valve 28, back into chamber 20 and is again used as above described.

When the chamber 20 is overcharged with atomized vapors the valve 27 and the valve 28 may be adjusted to direct the surplus vapors into the condenser 26.

In the modified form of our invention shown in Figures 3 to 5 inclusive, the housing 6 is narrow and is of such length as to receive the sheet 3 in its full width before the sheet is drawn into skeins 4, the housing being located adjacent the carding machine 1. The housing is made in two sections, a lower section 35 and an upper section 36, which sections are hinged together at one end by a hinge\ 37 and are formed with meeting flanges 38 and 39 respectively at their other ends which are secured together by a bolt 40 and nut 41. Slots 42 are provided in the meeting edges of the side "walls of the housing 6 through which asses into and out of the housmg. The ower section 35 is formed on the large end of a funnel 43. The nozzle 7 is fitted in the small end of said funnel. A slide valve 44 is mounted in the bottom of the section 35, which slides through the outer side wall of the section, so that it may be adjusted to provide a port 45 of varying widths extending the entire length of the housing so that varying amounts of vapors may be admitted in the housing the full length thereof and applied to the sheet across the entire width thereof. Bafiie plates 46 are provided in the funnel for evenly dis= tributing the vapors through the port 45 I pipe.

. of fiber are passed in and to the sheet 3. The funnel 43 has an outlet 47 in the lower end thereof through which the vapor condensates escape. Upon removing the bolt 40 the upper section 36 may be swung u from the lower section 35 on the hinge 37 for placing the housing over the sheet or for other purposes.

Having thus described our invention what we claim is:

-1. In combination with a housing through which fiber is passed, a mixing chamber, means for introducing atomized oil-vapor into said chamber, a pipe leading from said chamber into said housing, and a fan in said 2. In combination with a housing through which fiber is passed, a mixing chamber, means for introducing atomized oil into said chamber, a pipe leading from said chamber into said housing, and a pipe leading from said ho'using back to said mixing chamber.

3. In combination, a housing through which fiber is passed, a mixing chamber, means for introducing atomized oil into said chamber, a pipe leading from said chamber into said housing, a condenser, a valvecontrolled pipe leading from said mixing chamber to said condenser, and a valve-controlled pipe leading from said. condenser to said oil introducing means.

4. In combination with a carding machine, a housing through which the sheets of fiber pass in full width, and means for delivering vapor into the housing the full width thereof.

5. In combination with a carding machine, a housing throu h which the sheets of fiber are passed in ull width a funnel connected to said housing the full width thereof, and a vapor nozzle connected to said funnel.

6. In combination with a carding machine, a housing throu h which the sheets ull width, a funnel connected to said housing the full width thereof, and a vapor nozzle connected to said funnel, and a valve between the funnel and housing for varying the width of the port for admitting vapor into the housing the full width-thereof and the full width of the sheet. 4

7. In combination with ,a carding machine, a housing through which the fiber sheet extends, said housing being formed in two sections extending respectlvely under and over the sheet, means for detachably holding said sections together, and means for admitting vapor into said housing.

8. In combination with a carding machine, a housing through which the fiber sheet passes, said housing being formed in two sections extending respectively under and over the sheet, said sections being hinged together at one end, means for detachably securing the other ends of said sections together, and means for admitting vapor into said housing.

9. In combination with a carding machine, a housing through which the sheets of fiber pass in full width from the carding machine, and means for delivering oil-vapor into the housing across the full width of said sheets.

10. In an apparatus as disclosed, in com-' bination with a carding machine, means for applying vapor to the sheets of fiber as said sheets leave the carding machine.

11. In an apparatus as disclosed, in combination with a carding machine, means for applying oil vapor to the sheets of fiber as said sheets leave the carding machine.

12. In combination with a carding machine, a housing through which sheets of fiber pass, and means for delivering oil vapor into the housing the full width thereof. a

13. In anapparatus as disclosed, means 'for impregnatlng webs of fibro'us material 15. In an a paratus as disclosed, means for impregnating webs of cotton as delivered from a carding machine with strengthening and preserving vapors.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

CLARENCE C. SELDEN. ROBERT D. PEARSON. 

